Brother 2

Infobox_Film
name = Brother 2

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caption = US Theatrical Poster
director = Aleksei Balabanov
producer = Sergei Selyanov
writer = Aleksei Balabanov
starring = Sergei Bodrov Jr. and Viktor Sukhorukov
distributor = STV Film Company
released = 2000
runtime = 122 min.
language = Russian and English
budget = $1,500,000
gross = $1080000
imdb_id = 0238883
preceded_by = Brother

"Brother 2" (Russian: "Брат 2", "Brat 2") (2000) is a loose sequel to 1997 film "Brother". It takes place about a year after the events that occurred in the first film.

Plot Synopsis

The film opens with Danila Bagrov (Sergey Bodrov) on a television show with two friends from the First Chechen war. It becomes apparent that Danila was not a secretary in the Army headquarters as he numerously declared during the first film, but instead took part in real combat operations. All three friends now live in Moscow, and Ilya (Kirill Pirogov) is a professional programmer who works for the State Historical Museum on the Red Square whilst Konstantin Gromov (Alexander Dyachenko) works in security department for Bank "Nikolyaevsky". Danilla himself reveals his ambition to enroll in Medicine at the university.

After the program, in the Banya Kostya reveals to his friends that his twin brother Dmitry (also played by Dyachenko) who is an ice hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks is being extorted by an American entrepreneur Mr. Manis (Gary Houston). Yet Manis right now is Moscow meeting Kostya's employer, the owner of the bank Valentin Belkin (Sergey Makovetsky) to discuss a business proposal.

Almost simultaneously in a different part of Russia, that same television program was watched by Danila's brother Viktor Bagrov (Viktor Sukharukov) and their mother. Seeing as her older son has turned into a drinking militsiya sergeant, she much like she beckoned Danila in the first film, send him to seek out to Moscow to seek his brother there as his home life has brought little happiness to her.

While Danilla begins an affair with a Russian pop-star Irina Saltykova (plays herself), Kostya catches Belkin and pleads to remind Manis about his brother. Belkin agrees, however the course of the meeting reveals that Dmitry Gromov is of little concern to both, as Belkin has investment interests in American companies, and needs Manis's help to bypass the standing law which prohibits foreign capital. The importance of the new friendship with Manis, prompts Belkin to remove Kostya altogether.

The next morning Danila stops at Konstantin's apartment to discover his friend shot and sets out to avenge his friend. By the time Viktor arrives Danila and Ilya have stocked up arms and now set their sights on Belkin. The three spot the perfect opportunity to move in against Belkin, when he is visiting his son's Gymnasia concert.

By posing first as a friend and then as a new teacher he confronts Belkin alone, and threatening to blow off his genitals extracts from him that the murder of Kostya was carried out on Manis's orders. Belkin also reveals all he knows about Manis and his illegal operations in Chicago. Afterwards Danila decides to spare his life citing "It's a shame to leave such a kid without a father" after being inspired by the former's performance in reciting a patriotic poem at the opening of the concert, which Danila will repeat throughout the film.

However Belkin refuses to let Danila off, and begins to track him, by re-viewing the program recording, he first sends his thugs to the museum, but they arrive too late to catch Danila, Viktor and Ilya. Afterwards they spot the same stolen Volvo which Danila arrived at the Gymnasia near the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, where Saltykova lives. Warned by her chauffeur Boris the Bagrov brothers ambush the mobsters and when the latter attempt to chase them ends with Viktor using a Maxim machine gun destroys their pursuers.

Afterwards the two brothers fly to America, and Belkin's attempts to intercept Danila to Chicago fail, even the Chicago-based Ukrainian mafia who Belkin alerted are not successful to catch him there. The reason being, Viktor is on the flight to Chicago whilst Danila instead lands in New York City where he travels to the Russo-Jewish Brighton Beach community. There he buys a car to travel to Chicago by road, but it breaks down just outside Pennsylvania.

Stranded he is saved when a trucker Ben Johnson (Ray Toler) picks him up. Despite Danila's limited English, the two become close friends and on his way to Chicago, Ben shows Danila much about American life. Upon their arrival in Chicago, Ben offers Danila to pick up a prostitute, however the bald Marylin, turns out to be a Russian Dasha (Darya Lesnikova), who is "owned" by a Black American pimp.

Back in Moscow upon reviewing the CCTV footage of the Nikolayevsky Bank's entrance, Belkin's men determine that the bald man Viktor is a professional assassin "Tatarin" who disappeared a while ago from Saint Petersburg. Having confirmed that he was on board the flight to Chicago, Belkin warns Manis and alerts the Ukrainian mafia in Chicago to find him. Viktor meanwhile landing in the Ukrainian diaspora district in Chicago quickly begins to spend his money wisely and enjoy the American lifestyle, which includes dressing up like Al Capone.

In Chicago Danila first attempts to meet up with Dmitry Gromov, but he is unable to catch him. Nor are his attempts to rendezvous with Viktor end in success who is too much enjoying his life. Badly needing a translator he decides to find Dasha, and travels to the Black neighbourhood. Just before he can run away with her, he is savagely beaten by the Dasha's pimp's henchmen. The Police let him go on the basis of recognizance and he gets revenge by tricking the same group who beat him up into selling him weapons, which he steals by subterfuge. Afterwards Dasha's pimp attempts to get even with her but is in turn killed by Danila.

Finally Viktor and Danilla meet up and the three enjoy an evening campfire on the beach of Lake Michigan where they share their experiences. Dasha tells her story of how she came in the early 1990s as an exchange student, then worked in escort service in New York before finally degrading into a street hooker. Viktor on the other hand is much too impressed with the power of money that to drives America. The evening is broken up by racial tension when a homeless black man stumbles across them.

Afterwards Danila begins to finally move in against Manis, and first hits his front "Club Metro", expecting Manis to be there he sneaks a weapon into the back of the club and then during a Rock concert evening involving Bi-2 he kills every member of Manis's mafia he encounters there but Manis turns out to be absent. Viktor instead decides to take care of the Ukrainian mafia man, and lures their hitman into the toilet where he wounds him and after learning of the mafia's operations finishes him off in cold blood.

The next morning Danila climbs 50 or so floors on a skyscraper's Fire escape to reach Manis's office. There he finally confronts him alone and after a strong statement makes Manis to hand over the money he owed to Dmitry. After giving Dmitry his money, Danila sets off back home to Moscow, but not before driving via the Ukrainian neighbourhood where Danila becomes a witness to a police siege around the former headquarters of the Ukrainian mafia after Viktor killed everyone inside. As he is dragged out handcuffed and he shouts his intentions to stay in America.

The film ends with Danila and Dasha taking off to Moscow.

Impact of the film

Just like its prequel Brat-2 was an immense success. The film picked up the changing attitudes of the Russian public in the late 1990s. And shows the errosion of a common stereotype of the perfect West, which is not so much as perfect. It shows the immense divide between the Black and White communities with the former ghettoised. Also it shows that just like in Russia, the high profile businessmen can too have very criminal activities. The most powerful message was the final confrontation when Danila asks Manis if money really gave one strength and power, and instead argues that strength and power can only be found in the truth.

At the same time the film highlights the good America, but from a different perspective not in the facade of skyscrapers and the "American Dream" but in the American people who like in Russia come in all colours and social status, like the Black TV presenter Lisa Jeffrey who has a short affair with Danila and the trucker Ben who at the very end of the film, accepts an audio cassette with Russian music which the two listened whilst driving rather than money. Finally on humorous note the film carried across the message that hardships and people's discomfort with life exists everywhere as shown by the two bitching taxi drivers both in Moscow and in New York.

The film was however criticised for being too Russo-centric and in extreme cases the elements of racism and nationalism. For example the semi-criminal portrayal of the American Black community, the deceiving Russo-American Jew and the Ukrainian mafia. The latter in particular often refers to the toilet scene when Viktor finishes off in cold blood shouting: "You bitches will answer to me for Sevastopol!" referring to the sensitive topic on the ownership of that city.

Trivia

*Some of the songs played in the film were great hits in Russia in the 1990s.
*The scene where Danila meets Dmitri Gromov at the hockey practice features several prominent Pittsburgh Penguins players. Jaromir Jagr is seen in one shot and Darius Kasparaitis has a small speaking role.
*Sergei Bodrov Jr. died two years after this movie was released. His car was covered by a glacier slide while he was shooting a movie in the North Caucasus region of Karmadon Canyon in Russia.

External links

*imdb title|id=0238883|title=Brother-2